The Thief with the Swan Tattoo
by NikiFrost
Summary: Swan Queen 'FTL' AU: It looked like an old, useless storybook collecting dust in the university's abandoned library, up until Regina found herself dragged into its magical pages and forced to live through the book's story in order to escape. Her only hint is the first chapter she'd skimmed over: find the thief with the "swan" tattoo.


This is a SwanQueen AU loosely inspired by "Fushigi Yugi", but it's basically being completely overhauled to fit in the world of Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest, along with the fact that you all know I like to try to keep characters as true to their canon personalities as possible. If you've watched Fushigi Yugi, awesome, I hope you like this version. If you have no idea what Fushigi Yugi is, don't even worry about it! Just keep reading. Trust me. ;)

 **Note:** Updates for this fic may be erratic, as I'm still working on finishing my other main fics in progress first. Either way, I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so please bookmark it if you like it and I'll post chapters when I can! It's going to be a relatively short fic, probably no longer than 30-40k total. As always, SwanQueen is endgame!

* * *

"Remind me again why I'm here?"

"Because I need help with my thesis and you're my best friend?"

"I'm your _only_ friend, Kathryn."

"Savage."

Kathryn snickered, leaning out of the aisle to smack Regina on the arm. The uppity brunette just huffed and kept walking with a tug on the hem of her powder-blue blazer, dark eyes narrowed as she took in the faded placards hanging above each row. What little electricity remained in the abandoned wing of the library was hardly enough to light up the aisles and she ended up using the flashlight app on her phone to light the way.

"What about here? Old World, Fiction." Regina shone the light against the placard as Kathryn scampered up behind her, the blonde's own uniform blazer already streaked with dust across one sleeve.

"Possibly. Keep an eye out for anything that might look, uh, oriental." The blonde perused the shelves as Regina rolled her eyes, scanning the row with a bored gaze.

"Only _you_ could somehow require research of Asian mythology in a thesis for a Political Science class."

"Don't question my genius," Kathryn snorted with a dramatic flutter of her hand, pulling faded red tomes from the shelves and glancing over the embossed covers with awe-inspired eyes. "Less talky, more searchy."

"Genius my ass," Regina grumbled, moving further down the aisle, looking but not touching. She didn't share her friend's love of old books and couldn't help but wrinkle her nose slightly as the smell of leather and parchment permeated the air the further she went. She turned the corner into an even darker and more secluded aisle only to find nothing but leather-bound tomes.

"Hey Kathryn, try back here. These are all ancient-looking."

"One sec," Kathryn's distracted reply floated back to her, most likely with her nose in a book already. With a shrug of a shoulder, Regina wandered further in, scrutinizing the wide spines and keeping an eye out for anything mildly foreign. Or red. Asian culture seemed to like red. Sure enough, there was one narrow red tome with a pale yellow spine and she pulled it out, glancing over the Kanji symbols on the cover. Her lips parted to call for her friend again when a glimmer of gold caught her eye. Next to the gap where she'd grabbed the book was another much larger tome, dusty brown with gold embossed lettering. She set the red book aside for Kathryn and pulled out the large brown one, balancing it in her arm.

 _Once Upon a Time,_ it read, in fanciful script that made her think of whimsical fairytales. Finding herself strangely drawn to the book, she hummed under her breath and carefully lifted the cover, almost hearing the leather creak in protest. The large pages were made of yellowed parchment, thick and textured beneath her fingers. She flipped past the blank opening page, stopping at a single introductory line in the middle of the next page.

 _Home can only be found when the seven marked saviors are gathered._

Bemused and somewhat intrigued by the cryptic message, she continued onwards. A wall of text greeted her, her eyes skimming over the words, skipping over the fanciful script that laid out the setting and environment in excessive detail.

 _'When the girl looked up at her unlikely savior,'_ Regina mouthed as she read, ' _the first thing she noticed was a mane of golden hair glinting in the sun. The second, a tattoo of a swan gracing the other woman's slender neck.'_

Curious, Regina turned the page, brown eyes drinking in the accompanying illustration. For a moment she paused on the dark haired young woman pictured sitting on the ground, having just fallen after being attacked by bandits. The character looked a great deal like Regina herself, from her dark hair and dark eyes to the tan slacks and powder-blue coat, eerily similar to the university uniform she and Kathryn currently wore. What then drew her gaze and distracted her entirely was the blonde woman who stood protectively just in front of the dark haired one, sword in hand and a challenging grin pictured on her face as she brandished her weapon at the bandits. A red tattoo in the shape of an elegant swan branded the milky skin of her neck.

Fascinating, Regina thought, that a book as old as this one featured two women as the protagonists of the story. Her gaze cut to the next page of text and she picked out the words 'beautiful', 'stunning', and the phrase 'the pounding of her heart' in regards to the brunette character as she gazed upon the blonde. Was this a love story?

"Hey Reggie, where'd you go?" Kathryn's voice brought her mind back to the present. With a start, Regina snapped the storybook shut.

"I'm back here with all the old leather books. Just turn the corner." She hefted the storybook up and moved to return it to the shelf.

"Whoa," Kathryn said, eyebrows arching at the flash of bright light that momentarily blinded her. There was a loud thump of a book hitting the ground. When she turned the corner, a large, dusty storybook lay open on the floor of the library, and Regina was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was a root jabbing into her side. The second was that her body felt battered, as if she'd been thrown around in a storm and dropped in the middle of nowhere. Groaning, Regina rolled over onto her back, eyes fluttering open to find herself staring up at a canopy of trees.

"Oh."

She blinked, disoriented. Wasn't she in a library on campus just a little while ago?

"Kathryn?"

Sitting up, she gazed around with growing confusion and apprehension on her features. For as far as she could see, there was nothing but trees. She was in the middle of nowhere. Her phone was still clutched in her hand but when she checked it, the screen had cracked and the little icons still vaguely visible on the top bar told her it was both low on battery and had zero reception. Confusion turned to anger as she scrambled to her feet, dusting off her uniform and glaring around as if expecting someone to jump out at her at any morning.

"Kathryn! Where are you? This isn't funny! What kind of game are you trying to pull?"

No answer.

"Kathryn Midas! Come out here right now!"

Still no answer. Regina felt her stomach clench with discomfort.

"Hello? Hello!"

Only the chirp of birds answered her. Ignoring the fear skittering up her spine at the possibility of actually being out here alone with no clue as to how it happened, she chose a random direction and started walking.

An hour later and she was ready to tear her friend a new one.

"Kathryn! This isn't funny anymore!" It wasn't even funny in the first place, but what else was she going to say? She certainly wasn't about to start begging. Kat would never let her hear the end of that. "You're starting to piss me off! Come out here, right now!"

She was mortified, to say the least, when her shouts were answered by someone distinctly _not_ Kathryn stepping out from the shrubbery.

"What's a little thing like you doing wandering about the woods?" the man asked, eyes dragging from her shiny boots up to her neatly braided hair. Regina's mouth dropped open in surprise when she took in the rough leathers and muslin tunic he wore, his clothing as grimy as his sun-weathered skin and greasy hair.

"What- what is this, some elaborate prank?" she sneered, taking a step back, as she had no desire to know if he smelt as filthy as he looked. He smiled cruelly, showing off yellowed teeth and one chipped tooth that looked kind of like a fang.

"Think maybe she's lost?" another voice said, and she whipped around to see another man, no cleaner or kinder than the first, stepping out from behind a tree. This one had a small knife in hand and twirled it easily between his fingers, the blade glinting in the rays of sunlight peeking through the canopy.

The very real weapon sent a shock of fear straight to her core. This was no prank.

"Leave me alone," she said as coldly as she could, backing up to keep them both in her line of sight. A third man appeared just behind her and to her left and she wanted to curse aloud because _of course._ "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Aye, a pretty little waif who wandered into our territory, that's who," the first man sneered, the other two laughing in response. "Come quiet with us and we promise to be gentle."

"Speak for yourself," one of the other men said, grinning and sizing Regina up like a starved mutt. They spread themselves out in a way that floundered Regina's attempt to escape, trapping her between them, two brandishing paring knives and one with hands the size of a bear's.

"Don't come any closer," Regina warned, one hand gripping her phone as her head whipped back and forth, trying to keep an eye on the three as they inched closer from all sides. "I said back off!"

With one expert whip of her arm, the phone went flying and smashed into the face of one of the unsuspecting bandits, immediately crunching his nose and sending blood gushing down the front of his tunic. _Yeah, I play softball, bitch._

And, _oops,_ he was mad.

"That's it," he snarled, one hand clutching his face, the other gripping a knife as he stalked forwards. In her alarm, Regina scrambled backwards and fell, landing painfully on her tailbone and cringing in anticipation of a blow that never came.

"The lady said 'back off,' stupid."

When Regina looked up at her unlikely savior, the first thing she noticed was a mane of golden hair glinting in the sun. The second, a tattoo of a crimson red swan gracing the side of the other woman's slender neck.

 _Huh._

"What, too dumb to understand when you're not wanted?" The blonde smirked, her stance cocky as she held her sword with confident ease. Clad in dark blue leathers, beige breeches and tall riding boots, she was a sight for sore eyes in comparison to the bandits surrounding them.

"Out of the way, Swan. This is our territory and you know it," one man growled, weary recognition in his eyes. The blonde woman actually beamed, a smile that was all teeth.

"Ooh! You know of me? Good. That makes things easier." She swung the sword in a fanciful arc, bicep flexing in the fitted sleeve of her tunic and drawing Regina's gaze. "Let's make a deal, hmm? You walk away and I won't gut you like a fish. How's that sound?"

They knew of her but were clearly not smart enough to realize she was a woman of her word. When one charged forward with a battle cry, the knife held up high over his head, Swan just laughed and dashed forward, light on her feet as she slid out of his reach and swung her sword in a beautiful arc, slicing open his belly in one go. He screamed as he fell while Swan pivoted gracefully and hurled her sword in the direction of the second man with a weapon. It pierced him through the chest and dropped him to his knees with a gurgle of agony. Before he toppled over, the blonde was already rushing the third and last man, sliding a pair of daggers from her belt and tackling him to the ground. When she rose, sat atop his hips, the daggers were buried to the hilt in his chest and he was heaving his last wet, dying breath.

"I asked politely," she said with a shrug, smiling grimly as she pulled the blades from his body, wiped them off on his tunic, and returned them to her belt. The same process was repeated with her sword, though ripping it out from where it had skewered the other man was a slightly more difficult endeavor. When finally she took notice of Regina again, the brunette was sat frozen on the forest floor, brown eyes large with horror and mouth agape.

"You okay?" she asked, smile softening into something almost warm and reassuring - which was ridiculous because she just _murdered three men in five seconds flat._

"You-" Regina pointed, eyes on the red swan tattoo, hand trembling with disbelief. "You're the- oh my god."

"Whoa, easy there," said the blonde, easing down onto her knees just in front of her. Up close there was no denying the woman's natural beauty, her cheeks dimpled and her eyes a stunning shade of forest green. "You're probably in shock. Take a deep breath. Did they hurt you at all?"

Mutely, Regina shook her head.

"Okay. That's good. Glad I got here in time. Can you stand?"

Again, another silent, wide-eyed shake of the head.

"Oh. Alright. Take your time, there's no rush." That soft smile turned into a playful little grin. "Not everyday I get to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress. You got a name?"

"Regina," came the faint, numb reply. She wondered if the sudden pounding of her heart within her chest was audible. "You're Swan."

"That's what they call me, yeah. 'Cause of the mark." She motioned absently at the left side of her neck, head tilted to the side to give Regina a clear view of the crimson red swan. If not for the elegant, curving pattern, one might have thought it was a blood spatter.

"That's… from the book… you're the…" Regina blinked, her shock slowly wearing off until she was just frowning at the other woman's neck with intense concentration. Amused, Swan sat back on her heels.

"I take it you've heard of me too. Great. So, I'll accept your thanks and be on my way." She held out a hand, palm up, smile expectant. Regina looked at it in confusion.

"Sorry?"

"Your gratitude?" Swan's smile faltered. "My reward? Payment?"

The lost look on Regina's face switched to annoyance. "Really? You're asking me for money after that? I didn't even ask for your help!"

"I didn't go risking my life to save yours out of the kindness of my heart," Swan grumbled, dropping her hand with a disappointed huff. "Geeze, lady. Fine. You're clearly not from around here so I'll call that one a freebie this time."

Jumping up to her feet, she swaggered away. Regina spluttered in indignation and scrambled up off the ground. "Wait! You're just going to leave me here with these - these bodies?"

"Wolves'll take care of 'em. Go home, lady."

"I don't even know where I am!"

"Not my problem!" the blonde almost sing-songed. Regina spluttered, face red with rage.

"You can't just leave me here!"

"Sure I can," Swan called back even as she kept on walking, one arm lifted and finger pointing in a direction. "Nearest village is that way. Good luck!"

* * *

She found the town all right - after three hours of trudging along in designer boots that were made for strolling the halls of Storybrooke University, not hiking through wild forests. By then she'd cooled off enough to consider her situation and how she may have gotten here.

The fight back there was very much real. The woman - Swan - had killed those men to save her life, then wandered off into the forest like it was no big deal. The moment was an exact replica of the first paragraph she'd read in that storybook in the library. Somehow, the book's illustrations had already painted the scene of Swan saving Regina Mills.

Obvious deduction: she was in the book.

 _She was in the book._

"I'm going to kill you, Kathryn," she muttered under her breath to herself. Because if not for Kathryn, she would have never been in the abandoned wing of the library and she would have never found that ridiculous book that has apparently sucked her into its pages.

 _I must be insane._

Maybe this was all one big crazy dream and she'd wake up in the dorm room she shared with Kat. Maybe she was hallucinating. Maybe her real body was in a coma in the hospital right now.

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Regina made her way into town, hardly able to contain her own shock as she wandered through what was clearly not 21st century Storybrooke, Maine. The squat buildings were constructed with stones and lumber, straw covered roofs and wood-shuttered windows. Pens held in livestock of all kinds, chickens squawking and running loose as horse-drawn wagons ambled through streets that existed only because the dirt had been stamped down so firmly by many years of travelers walking the same paths over and over again. Skewered slabs of meat roasted over open fire pits, children scurried along in rags or in half-naked states, and the smell of farming manure was strong in the air.

"I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore," Regina muttered to herself, momentarily mourning the fact that Kathryn wasn't there to appreciate her reference. The blonde would have laughed despite the situation.

"You're new," a tiny voice said. She spun around to find a little boy, no older than six or seven, tugging on the hem of her baby blue coat. Big brown eyes smiled up at her from under a mop of dark hair and when he smiled, there was a gap between his teeth.

"Hello," she replied, relaxing slightly at his innocent grin. "Perhaps you could tell me where I am? I'm rather lost."

"Yellowbug Village," he beamed. Regina arched a brow.

"... Yellowbug? Why Yellowbug?"

"'Cause we have these pretty yellow beetles that live down by the stream and you can't find 'em anywhere else."

"I see." Regina blinked at him and he blinked back. "May I ask where Yellowbug Village is located?"

He scrunched his nose at her as if she were dumb. "The White Kingdom in the Enchanted Forest."

Regina sighed. "Of course. How silly of me."

He just nodded, eyes crinkling with his smile. The sight of it made Regina melt just a little bit, and she couldn't help but wonder where this boy's parents were. The poor child wore an ill fitting tunic and loose pants that were too short, showing off his scrawny ankles and feet that disappeared into second-hand leather boots that were two sizes too big.

"Wanna go to the festival with me?" he asked out of the blue. She startled as he reached up to clasp her hand as if they were familiar old friends.

"What festival?"

"The festival to celebrate the queen's coronation!" He began tugging her along without waiting for confirmation, his strides so small and erratic that she stumbled in her attempts to keep up.

"The queen's coronation," Regina repeated, deadpan. _This gets weirder and weirder._

"Uh huh. 'Cause the king and queen died a long time ago and the princess couldn't be queen 'til she was older, so now she's older and they made her queen and everyone's celebratin'."

Regina just chewed on the inside of her cheek and said nothing, letting him drag her through the village along a well worn dirt path. Now that she paid attention, it did seem like the villagers were gravitating in one direction, filling up wagons and riding off out of the village.

"The festival isn't here?"

"Nuh uh. It's in one of the main towns closer to the castle." He shot her a look like it was common knowledge and maybe she was just a little bit slow in the head. Regina blushed fiercely, hating feeling as if she were stupid when she simply didn't understand how this bizarre other world worked. The boy pulled them towards a horse-drawn wagon and clambered up into the hay-filled cart like a little monkey, gesturing for her to follow suit.

"Are we allowed?" she asked, half-stalling and half-embarrassed because the man sitting at the forefront of the wagon behind the reigns hadn't even turned around to take notice of them.

"Everyone's goin', come on!" She quickly scrambled up next to him as other villagers meandered over, chattering and laughing. They cast curious gazes upon her, eyeing her cleanliness and foreign clothing, but otherwise left her alone. Four more people joined them in their cart before the driver set the horse in motion, the wagon rattling off down the road. Ahead of them and behind them, other wagons slowly joined the caravan, heading towards what she supposed was the castle's direction.

The boy chattered the entire way, talking about all the different sights and sounds and smells they'd find at the festival, salivating as he imagined what foods would be sold there and what toys and trinkets would be on display. Around them, some of the other villagers were counting their coins carefully; just small handfuls, mostly bronze bits and the occasional silver, all caked with dirt as if they'd been stowed away for a long time in anticipation of either a big event or a rainy day. Regina took notice and frowned down at her tiny companion.

"Do you have money for any of these treats and toys you speak of?"

"No," he drawled. "But lotsa people will be at the festival, even the rich ones."

"You plan on pickpocketing?" she surmised, alarm in her voice. He grinned and wiggled his fingers at her - small, nimble fingers, calloused and lacking the softness she was used to seeing in a child's hands.

"Just a couple coin purses, only from the rich ones. They got plenty more anyway. A couple coins won't hurt 'em, but it'll feed me for weeks."

Regina frowned at the easy way he spoke, like it was the only life he knew. From the squalid conditions back at Yellowbug, she supposed it was.

"Where are your parents?" she eventually asked as the flat, muddy fields of Yellowbug were no longer visible in the distance. The boy's thin shoulders lifted in a shrug as he gazed ahead.

"Don't got any."

"You live all alone?" came her concerned response.

"Nuh uh. I live with the other kids." At Regina's stare, he continued, "Emma takes care of us!"

"Who's Emma?"

"She's the best," he said, which wasn't really an answer to her question, though the starry eyed look in his eyes had her assume this 'Emma' was some form of beloved guardian and role model. "She brings us money and food and teaches us how to take care of ourselves!"

"She taught you how to steal?" Regina asked, disdain in her voice. He noted her disapproval and immediately frowned, defensive.

"It's the only way for us to survive," he argued, his wording cutting at Regina's heartstrings in a way that made her grimace. "She's the only one who cares about us to help us. She steals food when we're hungry and medicine when we're sick. Grace would've died if Emma hadn't brought her a potion she stole from a witch!"

"Grace?" Regina asked quietly, trying not to linger on the thought of this world having witches that actually brewed potions. The boy's expression warmed.

"Grace is five and she's feeling a lot better now."

"That's… I'm glad," Regina finally relented, shoulders sagging as she glanced ahead in the direction the caravan was moving. "Are none of the other kids coming to the festival?"

"Nick and Ava and Rufio already went, and Grace and Neal are too little to go."

"Who's taking care of Grace and Neal if you're going, too?"

At that, he blushed. "Grace said she's feeling better…"

Regina gaped. "Grace is five!" Then it dawned on her. "You're supposed to take care of them, aren't you? That's why the other kids already left without you."

"I have to go!" the boy insisted, hands balled into fists. "I have to help steal or we won't have enough to get us through winter. Now that Emma is gone…"

His voice hitched and Regina felt another pang in her chest. "What happened to Emma?"

"She had to leave because the witch was hunting her and she didn't want us to get hurt." The boy looked down forlornly, fidgeting with his fingers. "That was weeks ago." Then his head lifted and he looked fiercely at her. "But she'll be back soon. We just have to work harder until she's back to help us again."

She didn't know what to say to that - didn't think there was anything she could even reply with. She noticed some of the other adults in their cart giving the boy sympathetic looks, as if they pitied his confidence that Emma would be back, that Emma wasn't already dead somewhere, murdered for her thievery.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon," Regina said weakly, feeling their disapproving gazes on her for getting his hopes up. "She sounds like she cares about you all a lot. A witch can't stop her from returning to you."

The boy smiled then, as if a weight were lifted off his little shoulders. Thrusting out a hand, he grinned his gap-toothed grin and said, "I'm Henry."

Regina grasped the calloused little fingers within hers with a soft shake. "Regina."

* * *

This world wasn't nearly as uncivilized as Regina had first thought it to be. The main village just outside the castle grounds was more like a small town, with paved streets and cobblestone buildings, merchants and townsfolk of all classes scurrying along in preparation for the festival. Glowing orbs of light lined the streets, floating above their heads like magical little lanterns that had Regina gaping for the first half an hour. Stalls and vendors were packed along the sidewalks, voices shouting out their wares, the hot steam of fresh food permeating the air. Children ran freely and dogs chased each other around the ankles of crowds, adults chattering and laughing, coins clinking, mugs clattering together accompanied by the slosh and splatter of ale.

Henry had pilfered a few small pouches upon their arrival, much to Regina's mute horror. He'd tucked half of his findings into a hidden pocket within his tunic and the rest into the pocket of Regina's coat, throwing the emptied pouches down an alleyway and ridding them of any evidence of thievery. The guilt of carrying stolen money was somewhat alleviated when Henry promised he'd only taken them off of the wealthy folk who deserved it.

"They're mean, and they hurt the slaves that work on their lands," he'd muttered, expression darkening. "Rufio used to get beat by a baron before Emma took him home to us."

Regina bought him a treat after that, using a few of the coins from her pocket to present him with a honey coated pastry. The big, beaming smile on his face got rid of whatever guilt was left in her system. Despite her insistence that he eat it slowly, Henry gobbled it down like a starved mutt and spent another five minutes licking honey from his sticky fingers and humming with delight.

"So is this it?" Regina asked after a while of walking around and watching as Henry browsed the many stalls and stopped for the occasional puppet show. "Does anything special happen for the coronation, or is it just one big party?"

"There's gonna be a parade with the queen in it," Henry said, half distracted as they walked by a stall selling colorful pinwheels. "That's what Rufio said, anyway. We might get to see her!"

"I see." Regina frowned, pausing in place and turning her head when there was a flash of bright blonde hair in the crowds. She had hoped it was Swan, if only so she could yell at the woman for making her walk three hours in the forest alone, but whoever it was, they were long out of sight. Sighing, she turned back, wondering if Henry would know anything about the supposedly infamous tattooed woman.

Henry was nowhere to be seen.

"Henry?" Her voice rose, anxious when she realized she'd lost her young guide. Having to rely on a child who knew this world was not exactly ideal, but he was the only person she currently knew here and it was rather terrifying to be left alone. "Henry!"

Spinning on her heels, she looked frantically around herself in hopes of finding the tiny boy. She knocked shoulders with a few people and shied away with a quick apology as people snapped at her to watch where she was going.

"Henry!" Her breath came a little quicker, face flushed as she clutched at the hem of her coat and searched the immediate area. It was impossible to find him in the throng of people, and just as she began to despair, everyone began dropping down to one knee with a fist across their chests. Confused but too frazzled to question it, she tried to take advantage of the moment and seek out her young friend, hoping to see him standing amongst the crowds of kneeling people.

"Are you crazy?" a voice hissed by her side. Regina spun to find none other than Swan by her feet, crouched down with one knee on the ground and her fist pressed to her heart.

"Swan?" she said, startled. The blonde grabbed the edge of Regina's coat and tugged harshly.

"Kneel down!" she whispered, green eyes wide with disbelief. Regina scowled and slapped the other woman's hand away. As if she'd soil her clothing by kneeling on the grimy cobblestones!

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because the _Queen_ is here, you idiot!" Swan snapped, yanking at her again. Regina bent at the waist from the force but remained standing on her feet, expression uncomprehending and mouth open to ask a question… except another voice boomed out over the suddenly quiet crowds.

"Who refuses to pledge fealty to Her Majesty the Queen?"

Swan immediately released Regina and ducked her head, hunching even further down into her position. The brunette, for her part, lost her balance and fell awkwardly onto her knees, big brown eyes snapping up towards a parade of horse-drawn carriages that had been slowly making their way down the middle of the street, flanked on both sides by every single villager and visitor on their knees, heads bowed and fists over their hearts.

In the middle of the parade, seated in an open carriage with a knight and an older man on either side of her, was a young woman with a glittering crown atop her head of dark curls.

"You!" the knight by the Queen's side demanded, pointing out Regina in the crowds. The parade had stopped, the horses tugging irritably at their reigns at the unplanned disruption. "Show your new Queen the respect she deserves!"

Were it any other day, Regina would have sassed him. Today, however, she was being singled out in the middle of a huge crowd in an open street as a reigning monarch paraded by. Quickly mimicking everyone around her, Regina adjusted her knee on the ground, pressed a fist to her heart, and dropped her head down with her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"James, please," a melodic voice spoke up, musical and pleasant to the ears. "I already told you that this entire spectacle is unnecessary…" She sounded almost embarrassed herself. Then, louder, "Miss? I'm so sorry for his rudeness. Please, rise."

Regina tilted her head to the side to meet Swan's gaze. The blonde shook her head slightly, green eyes wide and lips mouthing, _'Don't.'_

"The Queen told you to rise," the knight commanded, sounding disgruntled. Not wishing to disobey further, Regina reluctantly rose on shaky legs, chancing a glance upwards.

The knight was standing up in the carriage, blonde haired and blue eyed in gleaming silver armour, a decorative sword strapped to his hip. Sitting next to him with an amused look on her cherubic features was the young Queen herself, her raven curls sitting prettily around her shoulders. She couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty, large doe-eyes warm with sweetness and naivety. On her other side was an older gentleman cloaked in a leathery black cloak, long brown hair falling lank around his grizzled features and his crooked nose crinkled in disdain.

"Oh!" the Queen gasped, eyes widening as she took in the sight of Regina's otherworldly clothes, almost as if recognizing her in a way. Stiffening under the scrutiny of the Queen and the crowd around them, Regina almost missed Emma's muttered, _"You bloody idiot."_

The uncomfortable silence lengthened as the Queen whispered something quickly to the two men in the carriage with her, and then suddenly the knight - James - was pointing at Regina and telling the parade of soldiers behind them, "Seize her! Bring her back to the castle!"

"James!" the Queen chided in dismay, looking frustrated as their carriage began to move again, horses pulling them around and heading back the way they came.

"Run!" Swan hissed at her side, but Regina could only freeze up in alarm, gritting her teeth as two men in steel grabbed her by both arms and began hauling her off with the Queen's parade. Most of the crowds remained kneeling, just happy to get to see their newly coronated Queen in person. Swan jumped to her feet, instinctively trying to follow and rescue Regina, cursing under her breath and looking as if she was regretting it at the same time.

"Swan!" Regina shouted when her voice returned to her, twisting around as much as she could to see the blonde struggling to follow her through the thick crowds. Fear spiked within her when she realized that she might very well be taken somewhere to be punished for her insolence and she hoped desperately that the other woman was still willing to help her. Hell, she would give the blonde all the stolen coins within her pocket if it meant not being left to her fate in this strange and unfamiliar world. "Help me! Please!"

"Hold on!" Swan stumbled, pushing past a few people intent on stopping her from disrupting the Queen's soldiers.

"Emma!" a tiny voice shrieked. Henry burst out from the crowds, two other young kids and a teenager just behind them, joy on each of their faces. Swan hesitated, head whipping from the children behind her to the direction the soldiers were dragging Regina off to. Henry darted forwards, happy tears in his eyes and arms spread wide with the intent to throw himself into Swan's arms.

 _'Swan is Emma?'_ Regina thought numbly, moments before Swan made up her mind and turned back towards the children to catch Henry in a tight embrace.

Regina saw nothing more as the crowds swallowed them up and she was swept away, soldiers dragging her along in the parade towards the castle in the near distance.


End file.
